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DRIVERLESS cars are being run illegally in Melbourne, the State Government has revealed.

Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said today that he had been told of someone using an automated Tesla vehicle from one side of the city to the other.

“The use of this is still illegal even though they were in the car,” he said.

“If you get picked up you’ll be punished, and you’ll probably even be on the front page of the Herald Sun.”

Mr Donellan said he was concerned about the practice and VicRoads was considering rules and regulations to manage the emerging issue that is tipped to become much more common over the next decade.

Driverless cars laws needed in Victoria, RACV says

“It’s not the driverless car I worry about, it’s the driver with car and the capacity of the driverless car to interact with the driver with car,” told an Urban Development Institute of Australia infrastructure event.

“Because the driver with car is not going to be as rational as the driverless car.”

This week, the National Transport Commission said in a report that liability for crashes would be a key issue for driverless vehicles.

It said that cyber security breaches and software bugs will feature as new causes of accidents.

While the eventual introduction of driverless cars was expected to improve safety and cut congestion, Mr Donnellan said VicRoads was looking at current technology to get better traffic flows on freeways and other major roads.

“How do we communicate with people as they’re driving around and get messaging into their cars and say, ‘well there’s a major accident on the West Gate Fwy, divert yourself,’” he said.

Infrastructure Victoria CEO Michel Masson said governments should make the most of fixing existing roads, such as creating more clearways, before spending billions of dollars duplicating roads.

“Why don’t we ... engage in that respectful but very important debate about that one car that is parked on a major arterial road and creates congestion and misery to tens and tens of thousands of cars, and by the way trams also,” he said.

Mr Masson said building the “missing” North-East Link was an absolute priority, with the Government to formally respond to Infrastructure Victoria’s recommendation next month.

Mr Donnellan said he was positive about the project, which was a key issue raised by the HeraldSun’s recent Future Melbourne campaign.

“Being also responsible for freight, I love rings. To keep trucks out of the city you need to be able to bring it around, and that’s the only way you’ll get it done well,” he said.

Mr Masson said it was also important to ensure that no planning decisions precluded projects like East West Link being built in the future.

What a jumbled ramble of a read. Just painful. I agree it's hard to see what the point was. I expect from the meandering style the writer was paid by the word too.

While the eventual introduction of driverless cars was expected to improve safety and cut congestion, Mr Donnellan said VicRoads was looking at current technology to get better traffic flows on freeways and other major roads.

“How do we communicate with people as they’re driving around and get messaging into their cars and say, ‘well there’s a major accident on the West Gate Fwy, divert yourself,’” he said.
​

That's a hard one with current technology...I don't know...maybe try a traffic report on the electric wireless, digital traffic information signs, or Waze on my phone?

Quote: “It’s not the driverless car I worry about, it’s the driver with car and the capacity of the driverless car to interact with the driver with car,” told an Urban Development Institute of Australia infrastructure event. “Because the driver with car is not going to be as rational as the driverless car.”

I think what they are referring to here is how existing drivers will interact with driverless cars when they arrive. The fear is that a driverless car will act rationally and that is less safe than irrational human drivers. LOL

Just the other day ... I was using autopilot on a long drive - boredom set in and i noticed my daughter's knitting on the back seat - what the heck - i started knitting - i know - i know - pretty dumb - but hey - it does drive itself0). Anyway - five minutes later i look to my right and sure enough ... a cop car - with the officer within gesticulating to open my window. Caught! So I wind my window down - to which he yells, "Pullover!" ...
I hold up the knitting shaking my head and respond, "No, scarf!"

Just the other day ... I was using autopilot on a long drive - boredom set in and i noticed my daughter's knitting on the back seat - what the heck - i started knitting - i know - i know - pretty dumb - but hey - it does drive itself0). Anyway - five minutes later i look to my right and sure enough ... a cop car - with the officer within gesticulating to open my window. Caught! So I wind my window down - to which he yells, "Pullover!" ...
I hold up the knitting shaking my head and respond, "No, scarf!"

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